Retired Member Network eNEWS 120519

PMEA Retired Member Network eNEWS: December 5, 2019

by Paul K. Fox, PMEA Retired Members Coordinator

Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Retired Members

Page 1 of 8

Welcome to the latest edition of eNEWS ? the PMEA Retired Member Network...

an informal alliance and forum for interconnecting retired and retiring music educators, sharing their ideas, stories, successes, news, and views. Thanks for staying involved!

Christmas jokes

by Funology

What do Santa's elves learn in school? The Elfabet. What does Santa like to do in the garden? Hoe, hoe, hoe! What do Santa's elves drive? Minivans. What do Santa's elves drink? Minnesoda. What is Claustrophobia? The fear of Santa Claus. What type of cars do elves drive? Toy-otas. What breakfast cereal does Frosty the Snowman eat? Snowflakes. Which reindeer likes to clean? Comet. What do you call a bankrupt Santa? Saint Nickel-less. Where does the snowman hide his money? In the snowbank. What do you call a cat sitting on the beach on Christmas Eve? Sandy Claws. Why did the Christmas tree go to the barber? It needed to be trimmed. What kind of motorcycle does Santa ride? Holly Davidson. Why does everybody like Frosty the Snowman? Because he is so cool! What is a parent's favorite Christmas carol? Silent night! Why does everybody like Frosty the Snowman? Because he is so cool!

More Christmas jokes ? "You Quack Me Up!"

by Ducksters

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite.

What do Santa's elves do after school? Their gnomework!

What does Tarzan sing at Christmas? Jungle Bells!

Why is it cold on Christmas? Because it's in Decembrrrrrrrrr!

Why did the dog hang up his stocking at Christmas? He was waiting for Santa Paws. Why do students always do so poorly after Thanksgiving? Because everything gets marked down after the holidays!

Paul K. Fox 1564 Hastings Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15241 (412) 596-7937 or (412) 854-3459 paulkfox.usc@

PMEA Retired Member Network eNEWS: December 5, 2019

by Paul K. Fox, PMEA Retired Members Coordinator

Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Retired Members

Page 2 of 8

This month's "Fox Finds" ? Scam the scammers!

With the advances of technology in the digital age, we set new records of speed, ease of access, and... online scammers dogging our footsteps!

Tech Talk

I was browsing through my AARP magazine (August/September 2019), and stumbled upon an excellent article summarizing several solutions to "identity theft," rip-offs, and other problems: "Out-Tech the Scammers" by Doug Shadel. He recommended four options to provide strong protection against electronic fraud:

1. Sign-up for the U.S. Postal Service "informed delivery" and receive digital scans of lettersize mail that will soon arrive to your mailbox.

()

2. Block the robocalls! Three ways are advised to limit the parade of telemarketers: ? Sign-up your phone number(s) for the federal "Do Not Call Registry"

()

? Check with your phone's service provider to see what help they have to offer ? Use third-party software to limit or eliminate robocalls (e.g. Nomorobo, YouMail,

Truecaller, and Robokiller) 3. Download a password manager to help create, store, and retrieve unique, complex passwords

in a secured digital vault (e.g. Last-Pass, Dashlane, and 1Password) 4. With the goal of monitoring all transactions in your accounts, request that your bank or

credit card companies send you automatic email or text alerts when any of your debit or credit cards are used (even for legitimate purchases) ? "keeping an eye on things!"

I was also impressed with the three articles that preceded this one (pages 68-70):

? "Fake IRS Agents, Very Real Pain" ? "Too Good to Be True? In a Word, Yes" ? "A Crime (Identity Theft) for His Lifetime"

You may also want to look at this free online source:

.

You should be an AARP member to enjoy timely and informative resources like these. For example, check out their newly published book, Scam Me If You Can, by Frank W. Abagnale. Members can preview a portion of it: .

Paul K. Fox 1564 Hastings Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15241 (412) 596-7937 or (412) 854-3459 paulkfox.usc@

PMEA Retired Member Network eNEWS: December 5, 2019

by Paul K. Fox, PMEA Retired Members Coordinator

Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Retired Members

Page 3 of 8

Book-of-the-month... or the century? The 100-Year Life

by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott

Back cover:

What will your 100-year life look like?

Does the thought of working for 60 or 70 years fill you with dread? Or can you see the potential for a more stimulating future as a result of having so much extra time?

Many of us have been raised on the traditional notion of a threestage approach to our working lives: education, followed by work and then retirement. But this well-establish pathway is already beginning to collapse ? life expectancy is rising, final-salary pensions are vanishing, and increasing numbers of people are juggling multiple careers. Whether you are 18, 45 or 60, you will need to do things very differently from previous generations and learn to structure life in completely new ways. The 100-year life is here to help.

Drawing on the unique pairing of their experience in psychology and economics, Lynda Grayson and Andrew Scott offer a broad-ranging analysis as well as a raft of solutions, showing how to rethink your finances, your education, your career and your relationships, and create a fulfilling and inspiring 100-year life.

Admittedly, I was a little skeptical prior to reading The 100-Year Life, particularly since

one of their premises is that pensions are on the way out. However, once I started

consuming this easy-to-read book and unpacking their "whole picture," I could not put it

down. The authors, one an economist (Scott) and the other a psychologist (Gratton),

make the following thoughtful predictions:

? People will work into their 70s or even 80s.

? There will be new jobs and skills.

? Getting the finances right will not be everything.

? Life will become multi-staged.

? Transitions will become the norm.

? New stages will emerge.

Lynda Gratton

? Re-creation will be more important than recreation.

? Lockstep will end.

? Options will become more valuable.

? People will be younger for longer.

? Home and work relationships will transform.

? There will be much experimentation.

? There will be a coming HR battle. ? There will be a challenge for governments.

Andrew Scott

Paul K. Fox 1564 Hastings Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15241 (412) 596-7937 or (412) 854-3459 paulkfox.usc@

PMEA Retired Member Network eNEWS: December 5, 2019

by Paul K. Fox, PMEA Retired Members Coordinator

Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Retired Members

Page 4 of 8

The researchers also try to use their "crystal ball" to answer the following essential

question: "What does living the 100-year life mean to the future of education?" Over a long life, learning and education are crucial. For many people, there will be more education and learning, more years at college as undergraduate degrees expand to include more experiential content, more people taking postgraduate qualifications, more vocational training, and more innovations in learning. This won't simply be extra years of education at an early stage, but also serious investment in later life as people learn new specialisms, so as to adapt to a changing employment landscape and to mentally refresh and stimulate. As a consequence, it is very likely that the range of educational institutions and academic or professional credentials will widen significantly.

Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott organizes all under a very intriguing Table of Contents:

1. Living: The gift of a long life

6. Stages: New building blocks

2. Financing: Working for longer

7. Money: Financing a long life

3. Working: The employment landscape

8. Time: From recreation to re-creation

4. Intangibles: Focusing on the priceless

9. Relationships: The transformation of

5. Scenarios: Possible selves

personal lives

One of my favorite chapters (6) discusses stages and passages: The gift of a longer life is ultimately the gift of time. In this long sweep of time, there is a chance to craft a purposeful and meaningful life. The violinist Stephen Nachmanovitch captured this in his discussion of creativity:

"If we operate with a belief in long sweeps of time, we build cathedrals; if we operate from fiscal quarter to fiscal quarter, we build ugly shopping malls."

Free from the straitjacket of the three-stage life, we see new stages already emerging that create opportunities to craft a life that balances tangible and intangible assets, depreciation and accumulation.

I keep hearing an echo of their closing statement in my head, perfect for either a bumper sticker or billboard: "In a long life, you have the potential to build a cathedral rather than a shopping mall." What are you planning to build the rest of your life?

You should also review their website (below) at . This is another case of a book we should have read decades before our retirement!

Paul K. Fox 1564 Hastings Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15241 (412) 596-7937 or (412) 854-3459 paulkfox.usc@

PMEA Retired Member Network eNEWS: December 5, 2019

by Paul K. Fox, PMEA Retired Members Coordinator

Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Retired Members

Page 5 of 8

What's the buzz, tell me what's a-happening... Updates from the PMEA Council for Teacher Training, Recruitment and Retention

Online meeting on October 27, 2019 ? Notes by Paul Fox, Chair and Teri Myers, Co-Chair ? Department reports: Future Music Educators Honors Symposium, Mentoring, Webinars, PCMEA, PMEA President Tina Bennett, Society for Music Teacher Education, TRI-M (Modern Music Masters), etc. ? Membership stats as of October 2019: 305 collegiates, 234 retired members; PMEA's new management system may be affecting numbers ? PMEA President: communication with new PCMEA Student President Bridgette Haines; encouragement of PCMEA to participate in PMEA Advocacy Day 2020 and create "next step" video for collegiate success in music education ? SMTE: loss of knowledge due to higher education staff turnover; recommendation for Council TTRR to connect K-12 teachers with SMTE Conference in September ? TRI-M: As of June 2019, 101 active chapters in Pennsylvania ? Little Kids Rock: Tina Bennett, Henry Pearlberg, and David Deitz participation in the Modern Band Summer Summit in Colorado; Craig Denison is a Level 1 Trainer; Henry is spearheading best practices, lesson plans, and trainings; debut of Modern Band at NAfME National Conference (Orlando); Retired (?) Member David Deitz was named "Modern Band Music Educator of the Year" ? Modern Band at the PMEA Spring Conference: planning of a "rolling day session" where people can go in and out throughout the afternoon ? PDE: Arts and Humanities Learning Community ? PMEA Model Curriculum Framework (Scott Sheehan): articles in PMEA News; email address mcf@ to submit materials for screening by the PMEA Curriculum/Instruction Council ? Urban Music Leadership Conference: renewed focus on professional development for urban and rural music educators, and being more responsive to the variety of members' cultures ? Ethics: Council TTRR endorsement of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) "Model Code of Ethics" ? Higher Education Representatives: discussion of "collegiate concerns" over costs associated with annual renewals of professional clearances for music education majors, expenses for retaking basic skills test, mileage reimbursement assistance for student teachers, set-up of access grants administered by PMEA, annuitant (PSERS) restrictions for hiring retirees to observe field placements/student teaching, etc.

? Self-Care: new health/wellness initiatives planned (see and next page) ? Nominations to fill vacant positions of PMEA Region III & V High Education Representatives.

Paul K. Fox 1564 Hastings Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15241 (412) 596-7937 or (412) 854-3459 paulkfox.usc@

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